The change began here, at Cyber Tower, ten miles northwest of the city. The highway signs point to Hi-Tech City, and if the name is tacky, the buildings themselves would be right at home in Silicon Valley. This one is occupied by Microsoft and other tenants.

Tata Consultancy's local office.

Until a few years ago, this was scrub-covered and almost worthless land.

Tidy lawn: a rarity in South Asia.

Tenant list.

Neighbor.

Building site.

Rather than commute from the city, some of the workers have moved out here.

A better view of the place.

The effects are felt back in Hyderabad. Here's a shopping center at Abids, the long-time commercial center.

Twenty years ago, Abid's looked like this. Go back another 50 years and you would have found merchants selling Buicks and English hunting boots, tweeds and fine shotguns. This sign, in a style once characteristic of Hyderabad, was removed by the early 1990s.

If you want a latte, there's no problem. It's better than what you get from you-know-who.

Different strokes for.... well, the classic orders have a deep and mysterious appeal in Asia, where they are adapted in ways that would convulse a European architect.